Condensed reading summary of John Locke Two Treatises of Government
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Course
International relations
Institution
Sciences Po
Book
Locke
In this document you'll find a very condensed summary and explanation of John Locke Two Treatises of Government.
It should help you understand his main arguments before starting going deeper.
In the Two Treatises of Government, he defended the claim that men are by nature free and
equal against claims that God had made all people naturally subject to a monarch. He
argued that people have rights, such as the right to life, liberty, and property, that have a
foundation independent of the laws of any particular society. Locke used the claim that men
are naturally free and equal as part of the justification for understanding legitimate political
government as the result of a social contract where people in the state of nature
conditionally transfer some of their rights to the government in order to better ensure the
stable, comfortable enjoyment of their lives, liberty, and property. Since governments exist
by the consent of the people in order to protect the rights of the people and promote the
public good, governments that fail to do so can be resisted and replaced with new
governments. Locke is thus also important for his defense of the right of revolution
In chapters iii and iv, Locke outlines the differences between the state of nature and the
state of war. The state of nature involves people living together, governed by reason, without
need of a common superior. The state of war occurs when people exert unwelcome force on
other people, interfering with their own natural rights and freedom, without common
authority. The difference between war in society and war in nature depends on when they
end. In society, war ends when the act of force, such as fighting, is over. When the last blow
has been thrown, both parties can appeal to common authorities for the final resolution of
past wrongs. But in nature, war does not end until the aggressive party offers peace and
offers to repair the damage done. Locke claims that one of the major reasons people enter
into society is to avoid the state of war.
Chapter v deals with the definition and function of property. Whether by natural reason or the
word of the Bible, the earth can be considered the property of all the people in the world to
use for their collective survival and benefit. But Locke also believes in individual property.
For individual property to exist, there must be a way for individuals to take possession of the
things around them. Locke explains that the best theory of right to ownership is rooted in the
fact that each person owns his or her own body and all the labor that he or she performs with
that body. So, when an individual adds his own physical labor, which is his own property, to
a foreign object or material, that object and any resulting products become his property as
well. Locke defines labor as the determining factor of value, the tool by which humans make
their world a more efficient and rewarding place for all. Locke explains that money fulfills the
need for a constant measure of worth in a trading system but is still rooted in the property of
labor
The rest of the Treatise is devoted to a more specific critique of government, stressing the
rule of the majority as the most practical choice for government. He identifies three elements
necessary for a civil society: a common established law, a known and impartial body to give
judgment, and the power to support such judgments. He calls for a government with different
branches, including a strong legislature, and an active executive who does not outstrip the
lawmakers in power. Toward the end of the Treatise, Locke finally arrives at the question of
forming a new government. When the state ceases to function for the people, it dissolves or
is overthrown and may be replaced. When the government is dissolved, the people are free
to reform the legislature to create a new civil state that works in their best interest. Locke
insists that this system protects against random unrest and rebellion because it allows the
people to change their legislation and laws without resorting to force.
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